An Evansville attorney who was among the final tenants of the 420 Main building in downtown Evansville will be sad to see it go.
Danks and Danks hired attorney Neil Chapman after interviewing him at the Petroleum Club atop the former Old National Bank tower.
When Chapman left to start his own law firm in 2008, he returned to the 18-story tower at 420 Main where he says the rent was cheap and the building “iconic.”
Chapman told WNIN he wished the city had “dreamed larger” and invested in the tower back then
"Had the city recoginized this trajectory of the building which is what's happening, the enevitable decline, they could have invested in it, turned it perhaps into a city hall. I think it would have made an extraordinary city hall, mayor's office at the top."
As the tower fell into disrepair, Chapman said the owners -- who were based in Baltimore -- had trouble selling it.
"Partly because the owners were very conservative and they didn't wan't to I guess from their perspective, they didn't want to throw good money after bad. They were penny wise and pound foolish."
Chapman’s law firm is now headquartered in the nearby 15-story Fifth Third Building, which will become the city’s tallest when the 420 Main tower is imploded in November.
Chapman said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about Domo Development’s plan for a six-story commercial and residential complex at the site.
